popularGregory00 posted May 16, 2026 03:51 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
popularGregory00 posted May 16, 2026 03:51 PM
ASUS ROG Ally 7" 120Hz FHD Touch AMD Ryzen Z1 16GB 512GB SSD W11H Gaming Console $399
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/37687097...Swh5
I was shocked to learn that even the z2 extreme doesn't match the performance of a 7 year old laptop. Yes I know it's at a way lower tdp but still... I thought we had gotten farther.
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I was shocked to learn that even the z2 extreme doesn't match the performance of a 7 year old laptop. Yes I know it's at a way lower tdp but still... I thought we had gotten farther.
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I was shocked to learn that even the z2 extreme doesn't match the performance of a 7 year old laptop. Yes I know it's at a way lower tdp but still... I thought we had gotten farther.
There exist iGPUs from AMD (Strix Halo) which are both faster and way more efficient (more CUs = lower voltage and lower clocks for equal performance) than 780M but no major manufacturers are using them for handhelds.
I think it's going to be some time but eventually we will get something like a more advanced Strix Halo in a handheld which also supports FSR4 and it'll be a big leap; both because the chip will be much faster but also because FSR4 will allow for very good image quality running at much lower internal resolutions and this will effectively turbocharge the handheld landscape.
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Because the Steam Deck is sold out however, this is unfortunately an increasingly relevant device. Just know, it's basically a worse version of the Steam Deck. It's often slower than the Steam Deck, (except at full TDP / wall power) get worse battery life, and (this is just my opinion) has worse controls. I have a Z1E version of this handheld, (dimensionally identical) and it's not my favorite device to play games on. The sticks are loose, the triggers and bumpers are just, "okay." Face buttons are on par with the Steam Deck.
However, I understand we have to accept what's available, and this is still a reasonable price. I might recommend one of the various 65Wh - 80Wh battery mods to greatly improve the battery life, as the 40Wh battery the original Allys shipped with is anemic and dies in like 90 minutes of light gaming. My Z1E would commonly get less than 1 hour with intensive games. I picked up a JSAux 65Wh battery and it's a massive improvement, but cheap 74-80Wh batteries exist as well.
Also, I'd recommend a SSD upgrade, as these handhelds are known to fry their MicroSD ports. Just don't use the mSD port, and you'll be fine. I also loaded SteamOS on mine, and find it a better way to use the device than Windows.
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I was shocked to learn that even the z2 extreme doesn't match the performance of a 7 year old laptop. Yes I know it's at a way lower tdp but still... I thought we had gotten farther.
The Steam Deck ships with a 1280x800 screen, and was designed for 720p level gaming on a 7" screen. (later 7.4" w/SD OLED) 1080p was not the expectation until the ROG Ally shipped in 2023. These things generally weigh in the 1-2 pound range, vs that laptop that probably weighs more like 4-5 pounds.
It's all about compromise, and keeping expectations in check. These devices play older (pre 2020) games really well, and retro or indie games generally run very well. If you want to run modern AAA games at high framerates, there are virtually no handhelds that will fit that use case besides Strix Halo-equipped $2000 devices that perform in the range of a RTX 4060m.
Bought mine, the Z1 Exteme brand new at Best Buy for 450 last year.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/37687097...Swh5
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Your expectations were greatly inflated. The Z1E and Z2E are insanely efficient and capable mobile chips. Also, 720p is fine on a screen that small.
What they are capable of is borderline voodoo magic.
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